Compare the2023 Subaru ForesterVS 2023 Tesla Model X

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Forester are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model X doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Forester has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Model X doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Forester (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Model X doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Model X doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Forester (except Base)’s optional rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring has standard STARLINK Connected Services, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model X doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Forester and the Model X have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and driver alert monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Forester is safer than the Tesla Model X:

	Forester	Model X
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23%	26%
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	33 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	105/93 lbs.	156/119 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Forester is safer than the Tesla Model X:

	Forester	Model X
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	101
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	122 lbs.	157 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	121	274

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Forester the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Model X has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

There are over 4 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Forester’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Forester’s reliability 45 points higher than the Model X.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. With 35 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Tesla.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 12 places higher in reliability than Tesla.

Engine

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Model X doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Brakes and Stopping

The Forester stops shorter than the Model X:

	Forester	Model X
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	172 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

The Forester Wilderness has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Model X; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 5.4 feet tighter than the Model X’s (35.4 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

Chassis

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1750 pounds less than the Tesla Model X.

The Forester is 1 foot, 4.4 inches shorter than the Model X, making the Forester easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Forester is 7 inches narrower on average than the Model X, making the Forester easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

Passenger Space

The Forester has 2.2 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Model X.

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a much larger cargo volume than the Model X with its rear seat up (28.9 vs. 15 cubic feet).

The Forester’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Model X 6-Passenger doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Model X doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Servicing Ease

A maintenance reminder system is standard on the Forester to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes and tire rotation, vehicle inspection based on odometer mileage. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model X.

Ergonomics

The Forester’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model X has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s exterior PIN entry system. The Model X doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Forester’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Model X’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Forester has a standard rear wiper. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The Forester’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model X doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Forester has standard extendable sun visors. The Model X doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Forester’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Model X’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

The Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Model X doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Forester owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Forester will cost $11355 to $12820 less than the Model X over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Forester is less expensive to operate than the Model X because typical repairs cost much less on the Forester than the Model X, including $587 less for a water pump, $43 less for front brake pads and $937 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Forester will be $65533 to $67038 less than for the Tesla Model X.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Forester outsold the Tesla Model X by almost five to one during 2022.